Particle pollution plagues Birmingham; ozone problems expected next

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Acrid, smoky air hung over downtown Birmingham and surrounding areas Tuesday morning as an inversion layer trapped pollutants in the valley, according to Jefferson County Health Department officials.

The air quality monitors in North Birmingham and Wylam recorded levels of particle pollution approaching levels considered unhealthy for sensitive groups: children, the elderly and people with respiratory disease.

Matt Lacke, a JCHD meteorologist, said that several days without wind and rain kept pollutants hanging around and the cool night kept the particle-laden air close to the ground, leading to the formation of the inversion layer. As the morning sun heats the atmosphere, air begins to rise and breaks up the inversion layer.

The inversion layer began to lift after 9 a.m. allowing the pollution to dissipate into the upper reaches of the atmosphere.

However, an air quality alert remains in place for this afternoon when temperatures approaching the 90s and a lack of wind are expected to lead to ground-level ozone pollution problems.